Legal Affairs
by girlylittlecaroline
Summary: AU Klaroline where they're lawyers. Mikael & Sons has been towering over New York for as long as anyone can remember, with Salvatore & Saltzman slowly creeping up in its shadow. Now, with everything on the line for this one case everything could change. Will Niklaus Mikaelson fulfill his title of the city's best closer, or will Caroline Forbes be his downfall?
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: Hi! This is the first multi-chapter fic that I have done in a million years so do bare with me. This chapter is basically just to get you settled on the AU universe they're in. If you enjoy then let me know!**

**Beta read by my dearest Tanya!**

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A wash of gold billows in the wind as the door opens, Caroline's hair flying in front of her face and causing a laugh to escape her ample lips. Chicago may be the windy city but New York certainly didn't let down in that category either. The eldest Salvatore brushed it out of the way for her and she replied with a short curtsey, something that elicited another bubble of laughter to break the 8pm city sounds of cars and hushed chatter. The small group of five headed towards their usual bar to celebrate winning their latest case.

At the opposite end of the street, coming from their own towering skyscraper another blonde set foot outside, his short curls a sandier shade and the laughter nowhere to be seen between him and his companions. He murmured a complaint about the weather to his brother as they walked downtown. He didn't want to be in one of their usual spots tonight, couldn't stand the usual 'congratulations' from patrons almost as crooked as they were. Tonight wasn't a celebration as far as he was concerned; tonight was a night to drown out any memory of the case.

The warm interior of the bar was a welcome sight after braving the weather outdoors, it had started raining when they were near and Damon had managed to turn it into some kind of race to see who could get there first. Caroline was sure that he had cheated when she saw him inside the bar first, shoving him gently as she walked in just after him.

"You cheated, Salvatore! There's no way that you beat me. I took track in college." She reassured him as if that supported her claim. He simply laughed her off with a shake of his head and a rustle of her already unruly hair.

"I know you did, I watched." He grinned wolfishly and then headed off to buy the first round of drinks to avoid earning himself a slap. She rolled her eyes and turned to see Stefan walking in with Alaric and Jenna. The older Salvatore made a gesture to his hair, taking the hint she hurried off into the bathroom to fix any damage done by the wind and rain.

Re-entering the bar she frowned as she saw who was sitting on the table with her friends: Mikaelsons. What where they doing in their bar? She unbuttoned the last button of her jacket only to have it slipped off her shoulders by someone behind her, turning around to see Niklaus Mikaelson putting it up on the coat hanger and then smirking at her in his usual predatory fashion. There was something about him that unsettled her; she wasn't sure if it was the knowledge of his dirty tactics when it came to law, the ever present look in his eyes when he saw her that made her feel like he wanted to press her against the nearest wall or it might just be the fact that part of her wants him to do so.

"You missed a spot, love." He reached out to brush the spot of rain from her collar bone and she did her best not to shiver at his touch. She looked up at him about to attempt some kind of witty comeback when a voice pierced through the tension, causing her to step back and roll her eyes at the sight in front of her.

"If you two are done making everything awkward I need help carrying the drinks." Kol Mikaelson smirked at his brother, pointing to the drinks on the bar that he could have easily taken on his own and gesturing for Klaus to take them.

"Caroline, a pleasure as always." The infuriating grin was still planted firmly on the younger Mikaelson's lips and suddenly she had the urge to try and slap it off. He wasn't the youngest, or at least not that she knew. He and Rebekah were twins but neither of them would say who was the eldest one and she'd never bothered to ask. He ushered her towards the table the others were sitting and she was quick to slap his hands away, sitting down next to Stefan and looking slightly confused as to why there were two drinks in front of her.

"Damon wanted to get drinks too." Stefan explained at noticing her confusion, he had an amused smile on his face that he tried to hide by taking a sip of his beer but Caroline knew why it was there. Out of all of them Damon was riled up by the Mikaelsons the most, there had been a short fling a while back between him and Rebekah but even then they had barely been on speaking terms. Alaric had theorized that there probably wasn't much talking involved in the relationship anyway.

Looking over at Damon she saw that he was currently glaring at Kol and the two seemed to be stuck in some kind of staring contest that everyone was too amused by to bother breaking up. She wasn't too sure why they were sitting with them anyway, it was weird enough that they were even in the same bar as them, let alone that the two law firms were sitting on the same table.

For as long as Caroline could remember working at Salvatore & Saltzman there had been a feud between them and Mikael & sons. A name that she had thought would be changed seeing as Mikael Mikaelson had died a year ago, a funeral that she had attended along with the rest of the senior partners. Memories of which still made her unconsciously glance towards Klaus, catching his eye for a few seconds. It was as if he knew what she was remembering because he broke away first, ashamed of the memory.

Some polite (and some less than polite) small talk later and they'd lost two members of the group already, Kol and Damon had spotted a barmaid that for some reason they both had their eye on and were off to try and win her affections. Caroline could've sworn she'd seen her walk off with both men but she wouldn't bring that up right now seeing as Damon wouldn't appreciate what she was insinuating.

"I'm terribly sorry but you'll have to excuse me, I have to meet with someone." Elijah smiled his goodbye and nodded to Stefan as he went, leaving them with two more Mikaelsons once Jenna and Alaric had said their farewells. Stefan seemed to be torn between which one of them he was looking at, a glare at Klaus (which he seemed to be enjoying) or a glance at Rebekah, who had been her usual bitchy self for the past hour or so.

"Caroline, I forgot to ask. Where did you get that shirt? I saw one just like it while I was looking around Donna Karan but I don't suppose we shop at the same place." She smiled with her version of a sweet smile that made Caroline's skin crawl. Stefan interrupted her chance at a retort by leaning forward to talk to Klaus, cutting off their view of each other.

"Where's Finn? Isn't he usually the one to buy the first round with you lot?" He asked although somehow it sounded like an accusation, just what he was being accused of though was unknown to Caroline and she frowned as she tried to recall anything in regards to it.

"He has decided to spend the evening with Sage, I'll be sure to tell him that you asked after him." For a moment Klaus didn't sound anything like his usual self, his voice cold and harsh as if he was back in a courtroom, it caught Caroline's interest once more. It had to be something important if Stefan had managed to evoke such a response from him from one comment that seemed harmless.

"Stefan. Would you come and hail me a car?" She asked, getting up before he even had a chance to answer, leaving Caroline glaring at the back of his head as he agreed and made his small apology to the blonde who was sitting alone at the table with Klaus, now. As smoothly as if it were second nature to him he moved around the booth so that he was on her side, motioning for the waitress to repeat their orders. She had to purposefully keep her breathing regular to avoid it hitching as he came closer to her.

He knew exactly what he was doing to her; casually resting his arm on the back of the seat so that she would crave collapsing into the heat of his body, leaning forward to give his order so that she could smell his cologne. She crossed a leg over the other and rested her hands on her lap so that they wouldn't be accidentally brushing against his.

"So, how are you, love? I never did get the chance to ask earlier, what with all of the chit chat." He gestured vaguely with his free hand towards where the others had been sitting earlier. He was leaning back with his body turned towards her so she could feel his breath against her ear as he spoke and she had to hold back the urge to kiss him right there on the spot. Turning around to answer him didn't help at all; his lips were dangerously close to hers.

"I'm fine." She answered curtly, turning to look at the bar as if she was waiting for their drinks instead of at him. With him that close to her turning to him left only two different places for her to look and both his eyes and his lips were danger zones if she wanted to avoid redoing the same mistakes she had done a few times before.

"Of course you are." Was his reply, a small chuckle escaping him as he rested his hand on her shoulder when he reached for his drink, smiling his thanks to the waitress. Sure, he was being forward to most people but this really didn't even count as forward to them anymore, they'd fallen into a lull of having something there but neither of them was too sure exactly what it was and they didn't particularly feel like putting a label on it anyway.

They just existed as '_us'_, they had for a little while and nobody mentioned it or raised a brow at it because it didn't seem out of the ordinary, it was organic. Of course, they didn't know about the activities that Klaus and Caroline had enjoyed away from the prying eyes of their friends and family. Caroline usually fobbed it off as something that had happened '_once'_, something that was an accident and that she didn't want to recall but 'once' would be referring to that one 'weekend' where they had been in Paris together working opposite ends of a big case all week, and the weather had been too bad to fly back over to America. One weekend spent touring the best museums, galleries and a great deal of sightseeing (even if the sight she saw the most was the hotel room's ceiling). That was three years ago, though, before she was a senior partner at Salvatore & Saltzman and two years before the funeral. Two years of awkward glances and doing their best to avoid each other. Klaus was always all too keen to remind her of these things when they were alone but today he was silent on the matter. Something had to be up.

"You're not, though. What is it?" She asked, frowning, she didn't want to show any genuine concern of course, that was way off of the table for whatever coexisting relationship they had, she just seemed curious.

He sighed. The sigh of someone who had spent a long, exhausting day at work and hadn't enjoyed one minute of it. Something was definitely up. Klaus enjoyed his work more than most people, revelling in every victory, if what she had heard was right he had a pretty big win on his side; so he shouldn't be sighing like that.

"It's nothing of any importance. Just a case that didn't quite go as planned." He shrugged and then took a sip of his drink in an attempt to convey that the matter was closed but she wasn't having any of it.

"The hybrid case. You proved that the window screens to those cars weren't faulty; you were defending the good guys in this, right? The company was right when they said they had done the checks." She took her drink and sipped at it. It only took her a minute to realise that he hadn't answered her question.

Turning to him she saw the guilt on his face immediately. They had been guilty all along. Defending the ones in the wrong. That was the problem with the people who worked at Mikael & Sons, they really didn't care for who was actually innocent and who was guilty, they only cared about how much money you had in your bank account and that was the only condition when it came to hiring them to work for you.

She shook her head and didn't bother hiding the disgust on her features as she moved away from him and got up. He didn't go after her, he muttered for her to wait and hear him out but she walked away from him and out the door without a second thought.

Who did he think he was? Getting cosy with her and having drinks with friends when he had just helped defend a company full of murderers. He was just as bad as them, a liar amongst villains and she needed to stop thinking that he would ever be anything else. Stop having deluded dreams of him leaving the company and becoming something better than he was, he never would. He was just as bad as the rest of his family.

She shivered against the cold, looking up to see that she had been walking in no particular direction and that her house was the other way. She was about to call a cab when she felt the warmth of her jacket around her, accompanied by a familiar arm keeping it in place.

"You forgot your jacket, love." He told her as if she hadn't realized- which she hadn't, but she didn't feel like giving him the satisfaction of knowing that right now. "Yes. Well. I guess I did. If you'll excuse me I need to catch a cab."

His response was a laugh, a deep sound that she couldn't help but smile at, although she mentally chastised herself for it and hid it soon after.

"And how exactly do you expect to catch a cab at gone ten o'clock on a Saturday night in this weather?" He asked, the rain had gotten steadily heavier even as they stood there and she sighed in frustration. She could call her driver and get him to pick her up but that would take a good twenty minutes and by then she could envision a slightly, more blue version of herself frozen on the sidewalk.

"Here, take my car. George'll get you to your place and then come back for me when he's done." Had there been any better options, or really any other options at all she would have flat out refused but it really was her best option right now.

They walked back to where his car was waiting in silence; he wasn't going to make it okay with one nice gesture. Opening the door for her he gave her something that she was sure he was trying to pass off as a smile.

"I'll speak to you soon, love." He closed the door and she was gone.

Neither of them could have anticipated just how soon they'd be meeting, however, or quite how it would end up bringing both of their worlds crashing down on top of them.

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**If you liked it, read and review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry about the delayed update, school just started up again and I've been knackered for the past few days! In response to some of the fabulous comments I have; yes, there will be plenty of flashback explaining, especially around chapter five! As for lawyers, I'm sure there are plenty of fine lawyers, let's not jump to conclusions, hey? ;)**

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It wasn't unusual for Klaus Mikaelson to be at Mikael & sons early, he was often found sitting at his desk at ungodly times in the morning going over a case or, at other times, standing in front of the floor to ceiling windows that framed the city below him. His secretary had often pondered just what he could be thinking about but his expression was always indiscernible, that was likely what made him such a good lawyer in the first place.

No, the peculiar thing about Niklaus' office at six am on the Saturday morning was the other four Mikaelsons that were strewn around the room in various states of stress.

Kol Mikaelson, the youngest (by less than four minutes but Rebekah will always hold it over his head), was lying on one of the two small sofa's in the office, his brow furrowed as he goes over his options. Rebekah, the only woman in the room since Katherine's departure, was sitting on the arm of said sofa, looking to her older brothers until they decide on a course of action. Finn and Elijah were in hushed conversation on the other bench, Elijah seeming more distressed than his usually calm expression would normally allow, with Finn's hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

Separated from the others is Klaus, leaning against his desk, eyes on the floor, flickering up every now and again to see how the others are reacting to the news of their latest case. He'd been in the same position for the last fifteen minutes, Elijah had stopped pacing ten minutes ago and Rebekah and Kol had ceased bickering in the last five. He sighed when his older brothers stopped talking, the silence was deafening.

"We'll have to defend her." Klaus admitted, looking over to Elijah for a brief moment, if his older brother had a weakness it was Katherine Pierce. Klaus wasn't fond of her, he'd only ever seen her manipulate his brother but he cared for her and that's all he was going to focus on for now.

"No, not at all. Why should we? She probably did kill the bitch and points to her for it but I'm not defending her." Kol sat up as he spoke, shaking his head, his elbows leaning on his knees. "The judge is Bennett, right? There's no way that Bonnie's going to be unbiased in this, she was friends with the deceased and the last time I checked she dreams of killing all of you every night." He stated, not specifying the last time he had spoken with Bonnie because it would probably be hard to explain it. There were certain things that his siblings had no business in knowing.

"We can't back out of a case every time we get Bennett, she can't go on a biased verdict or we'll have her position taken away from her, she knows that. Do we know which firm is accusing her of murder?" It was one of the first times Finn had spoken during the morning and it wasn't surprising that he was the first one to come up with a reasonable question.

"Salvatore & Saltzman." Elijah's voice was rough, he'd managed to compose himself slightly but it was the anger in his voice was obvious. Klaus wasn't sure why he was surprised, there had always been some kind of rivalry between the firms and as far as he was concerned they probably jumped at the chance to go for a low blow. They'd come to regret it when they lost.

"So Salvatore & Saltzman are accusing Katherine or murdering Elena, her own sister? We've got plenty of angles to play this off of, make Katherine look like the grieving twin sister who has half of her missing and she'll have a near unanimous not guilty from the jury. I'll take the case- brother, you're too invested in the defendant to do it, they'd walk all over you." Klaus warned him before he had the chance to question the decision.

"So that's it? We're just going to cut out own heads off? You can do it but I'm not having any part in it." Kol got to his feet and brushed past his eldest brother, walking out the door with Rebekah in tow. Nobody bothered to follow him, it wasn't the first tantrum that Kol had thrown and it wouldn't be the last, he would have forgotten that he was supposed to be mad at them by the time they left in the evening.

"Ignore him, he's tetchy. I'll start putting together a defence case, you can go and see Katherine, take the day off." He picks up his coat and slips it on as he walks out of the building, heading to their opponents firm.

"She's a sneaky, psychotic bitch, are we really surprised she killed someone? I'm just a little shocked it took this long." Damon spat, taking another gulp of the amber liquid in his hand and leaning back against his seat. They had been in the office for an hour or so, Caroline and both Salvatore brothers going over the case and trying to work out just what they were going to do. Jeremy had wanted them to get to them bottom of who had killed his sister but they dealt in law, they weren't investigators so there really wasn't much they could do. Until Tyler came forward, that is.

He knew what had happened, he had seen Katherine tip the poison into Elena's drink while he was visiting Jeremy and he'd come to confess it after talking over it with the younger Pierce. Katherine had murdered Elena. The motive wasn't difficult to work out, their mother, Isobel Pierce had passed away less than a month before her daughter did. Leaving everything to her daughters after she died, which, without Elena in the picture, meant that Katherine would be inheriting a lot of money seeing as Katia had died over two years ago.

"I'll have to take the case, then." Caroline said, there was no way that either Salvatore could; seeing as their relationship with Elena Pierce had hardly been platonic. It had been a long time after her choosing Damon that the two brothers could even stand to be in the same room as each other. The worst part was that it was common knowledge so there was no chance that it wouldn't be used against them in court.

"Caroline, are you sure? We don't know who Katherine has but it's likely not to be fun." Stefan warned her, concern evident in his expression. She could appreciate the fact that he cared but she still felt as though she was being undermined, she was a senior partner but they still treated her like the baby of the group.

"Yes. I know. You and Damon are too emotionally invested and Alaric doesn't take cases anymore since he's spending more time with Jenna while she's pregnant." It was fact, solid fact that she was the best candidate given the circumstances and they'd just have to accept that. They knew that she was good, people underestimated her as a lawyer because of her golden locks and her sunny disposition but when she was in a courtroom she turned into a completely different person. A force to be reckoned with.

The younger Salvatore brother sighed and looked to her once again before nodding, it was a rational plan but he didn't like it either way. "She was your friend too." He reminded her, although his tone was soft, he wasn't trying to reprimand her, he just wanted to make sure that she was aware of what she was getting herself into.

"I know. But I can't bring her back by sitting back and letting some half rate lawyer defend her. Our friendship was nothing big, we were just acquaintances, it can't be used against me." She gave him a small smile anyway.

Damon didn't seem to be concentrating on either of them, he was cradling his whiskey in his hand and staring out of the window as if he expected to see Elena appear out of nowhere. Her death had hit him the hardest, understandably. It was two years ago and yet Caroline could still remember seeing him when he had found out, she'd never seen anyone look as broken as he had.

"Great plan, guys get on that and I'll be elsewhere." He gave them a tight smile as he got up from his chair, walking out of the office.

Caroline turned to Stefan, about to say something when she hears a sudden commotion outside of the door, looking out she can see Damon with his back to them, someone pressed against the wall in front of him. Quickly getting to their feet, the two blondes head out of the office to see what was happening, Stefan moving to pull his brother from whoever he had taken hold of. His hand was fisted in the other man's tie, a condescending smirk on the sandy haired victim. Klaus.

"Damon, stop. He's not worth it." She rested a hand on his arm as Stefan managed to pull him away, he gave them all one last riled look before heading down the stairs.

"What are you doing here, Niklaus?" Stefan asked, his arms folded over his chest and a clear look of annoyance on his features. It was bad enough that their night out had been tarnished by Mikael & Sons last night, now they had them crawling around inside their firm? Especially after the news had just gotten.

"Don't be coy, Stefan. We both know why I'm here, to meet my latest opponent." He didn't so much as glance at Caroline and she could tell that it was purposeful. If he was going to be childish then she'd be the same way.

"That'd be me, actually." Caroline stepped forward with a smug smile before covering it up with a professional composure once again. "If you're here to discuss the case then you may follow me to my office." She turned and walked away, a small jolt of thrill going through her. She'd never been against a Mikaelson in a case before, sure, she'd been researching against them in Paris for one of Damon's cases but that was just doing his dirty work because he was too busy to do it himself. This time it'd be her against him and if they won it'd be her victory to claim. There was something highly fulfilling about the thought of wiping that smirk off of his face.

She didn't bother closing the door after her, already hearing his heavy footsteps as he started after her, no doubt more than a little unimpressed that she seemed to have shown him up. If he thought that this was going to be an easy win for him just because he may have seen a side to her that certainly wouldn't stand up in court he was wrong. Being underestimated was something that Caroline had always hated, but being a woman in the law profession had taught her to use it as a weapon of her own. It was always fun to see their faces when she wiped the floor with them. She closed the blinds and went around to her desk, writing a short memo and taking her time to turn to him.

It was obvious that he was less than impressed with the fact that she was paying no attention to him, he closed the door with a little more force than was necessary, when that didn't seem to work he huffed in annoyance. It was a few huffs later when she put the pen down and turned to him, some of her façade almost dropping at the sight of him.

Klaus Mikaelson, to all intents and purposes, was handsome. No, it was more than that. He was gorgeous. On an average day his neatly pressed suit and calm expression was enough to make most girls turn to jelly. Right now, he was near irresistible. His eyes were stony, his jaw set and his tie still dishevelled from where Damon had attacked him early on. He seemed to tell that she had noticed because he moved his hand to his tie, fixing it curtly.

"You're not taking this case, Caroline."

It was one sentence, one incidental, stupid little sentence and yet it was enough to make her go from wanting to throw him onto the desk to wanting to throw the desk at him. She stared at him incredulously for a moment before standing straighter from where she was nearly slouching on her desk.

"Excuse me? What gives you the right to tell me what I can and cannot do? Do you think you're going to beat me, is that it? You're not. Katherine is as guilty as anyone could be and we have evidence of it, as you know. She's going down and so are you so don't think that you can patronize me, Klaus Mikaelson because you can't."

She barely noticed the step closer to him until he mimicked her actions, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"Do you really think that lowly of me?" His eyes searched hers, as if he thought that she was going to apologize for her assumption, looking genuinely offended by her accusation. She scoffed at him and rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Oh, because that's a totally crazy assumption to make, right? Get real." She shook her head, turning back to him to see that he had stepped closer, a step back on her behalf meant that she was pressed against the desk, the hard edge pressing into her lower back as her eyes stayed fixated on his.

"I have every belief that you can win this case. I'm not the one who doesn't have faith in you, love." He looked away briefly before letting his eyes return on hers, trying to find the right thing to say for a moment before deciding on honesty.

"I'm asking you not to."

For a moment she isn't sure what she's supposed to say. He was asking her not to take the case? He was Niklaus Mikaelson, attorney at law, the best closer in town and he could easily squash her in this case. If he was asking her to back out of it then it could only mean one thing.

"You think she's guilty, too. You know it and you're still defending her. Don't you dare ask me not to do this case. Elena deserves to have her murderer locked away for a very long time." She went to move away from him but he put his hand on the desk behind her to stop her.

"It doesn't matter what I think, Caroline. I'll defend her either way, we both know that. I have no problem in playing the bad guy. If you don't back out of this case I'll be forced to bring you both down."

She didn't reply to him. Her gaze was defiant, she wasn't one to back down especially when she was scorned. Especially when it was against Klaus.

"So be it." His eyes darkened and his tone turned rough, stepping away from her in one fluid motion and fixing his tie for the second time in their meeting.

"May the best man win." He said with a small incline of his head, hand on the door ready to leave.

"Game on, Klaus."

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**You know the deal here, people! Send me reviews and I'll love you down!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi! Sorry that this has taken so damn long but with school and illness and just general everything getting in the way I really haven't had the time/muse to write this chapter. It's here now, though!**

**In response to one of the reviews I must stress that my knowledge of the law is a zero, other than what I have gleaned from watching White Collar and Suits I'm pretty basic, which is why after this chapter it'll be focusing a lot more on relationships than on legal facts. **

**Good. With that said, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Beta read, as always, by my fabulous Tanya.**

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"Caroline, your evidence will not disappear if you leave it for five minutes to get food. Our case is solid, this is just extra ammo. Come and get food with me."

Stefan sighed as he leaned against the doorframe to Caroline's office, his arms folded and a tired look on his face. It was the fifth time in the last four hours that he had asked her to come out of her office, this was the first time he had decided to use food as a ploy and if the audible growl of her stomach was anything to go by it had worked. With a sigh, she looked up from her paper-covered desk to him.

"I just want to make sure that we get Katherine… especially seeing as they're actually targeting Tyler, now." She had known that Mikael & Sons were going to be hard but they seemed to just be throwing any obstacle in her way that they would to avoid getting to an honest trial. As far as Caroline was concerned, it just made them look guilty.

Resignedly, she got up from the seat and walked over to the door, picking up her jacket on the way and smiling at Stefan's elated reaction. She had been neglecting her best friend recently; which reminded her that she needed to get in touch with Bonnie too, seeing as her friend apparently had a new mystery man that she didn't know about. Which was obviously unacceptable.

"I was thinking we could pick up pasta from that new pasta place, the one that used to be a cyber cafe? Help me return to my Italian roots."

She didn't even bother trying not to laugh at him, nudging him playfully as she presses the down button on the elevator. "If you're Italian then I'm French."

He responded with a quick "You don't have the accent." And laughed when her offended 'sacre bleu' echoed off of the metal walls.

Caroline had only just ordered her carbonara when Stefan's favourite topic managed to find its way into the conversation.

"So, have you spoken to Niklaus recently?" He interlocked his fingers, leaning forward against the table as to fully grasp her answer. She reached over and flicked him in the forehead, taking a sip of her wine.

"No. If I have to talk to Klaus it's because we are discussing the proceedings of the trial, there's no other reason. Ever." Perhaps she was a little sour. She simply didn't understand how he could be so blasé about the type of client he worked for. Of course Caroline had had to work a few cases that she had known she was on the wrong side of, but nothing overly drastic. Never a murder case.

Apparently Klaus didn't share her morals. She found it very unlikely that he even had any morals. She glared at Stefan when he laughed at her.

"Let's be fair, Caroline. You really don't hate him that much." He arched a brow, he was more than privy to what happened in Paris three years ago. Infact, he could probably write up a timeline of the blonde's relationship. If he had a spare month or three.

"I do. I don't know what the hell I was thinking in talking to him. He's an ass." She gave him a pointed look that showed that she wanted the conversation but a smile was already creeping onto her features. Klaus was a lot of things, which she realized was cliché but she couldn't help it if it was true. He could be an ass when he wanted to be but there were other sides of him too ,sides that she wasn't sure how many people had actually gotten to see. Maybe if he wasn't so shut off from people she wouldn't have to feel so bad about liking him as she did.

"Fine. I give up. Maybe Bonnie will talk some sense into you." It was a long shot, he knew it and she only reinforced it with her laugh.

"Right. That's going to happen. If there's anyone who is more annoyed by Klaus than me it's Bonnie. She's team me on this." She told him smugly and took another sip of her wine.

She was five forkfuls into her chicken pasta when Stefan's phone buzzed for the second time, putting her fork down she nodded to Stefan. "Just take it."

Apparently it was impossible to take a half hour lunch, she really shouldn't be surprised seeing as she couldn't remember the last she had had her entire break but it was times like this when it got particularly annoying. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed Stefan's brow furrowing. Something wasn't good.

"What is it?" She asked as soon as he had hung up, repeating her question when he failed to answer the first time.

"It's Klaus. He's taken a chunk of our evidence." He tried not to sound as disheartened as he did but he knew that she had been working on it for a while now. It was also near bulletproof.

"On what grounds?" She asked the question but was already leaving the money on the table and standing up.

"Everything from claiming our phone records are incomplete to saying that Katherine was under duress when talking to Tyler." He picked up his coat and followed her out, trying to think of what she was planning on doing next.

Hopefully there wasn't going to be another murder to deal with.

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"All of it, Bonn." Caroline exclaimed, switching the phone to loudspeaker as she closed her door, moving aside argument drafts that were now pointless. Bonnie's voice crackled down the line to her.

"I'm sorry, Care. I can't do much to help you, if I turn down his evidence as payback it'll look bad. You should go after him, though." She encouraged, wishing that she could be more of use.

"After him? What could I have on him? He doesn't have any real evidence, it's like he's not even trying. Bonnie, I'm going to kill him."

"And I'm going to pretend I didn't just hear that. He must have something, he definitely won't be expecting you to fight back. Go get him. Listen, I need to go. I'll talk to you soon."

Caroline didn't even catch the last part of it, mumbling a goodbye a second too late and disconnecting the call. Her eyes were caught on a statement that Tyler had given her. One where he was worried about emails that he had sent Katherine during one of their fights a while back. The address he'd given her hadn't really clicked before, some place that was near the office that she'd never seen.

Somewhere that was now a thriving pasta restaurant.

* * *

Never let it be said that Klaus left anything half done. He was feeling pretty pleased with himself after sweeping a good fourty percent of Caroline's evidence off of the table. That was, of course, before he saw the blonde walking into his office. Hips swaying with a confidence that she definitely should not have right now, something was definitely up.

"Caroline, love. What a charming surprise. What can I do for you? Do come in." He added as a sarcastic afterthought as she made her way into his office uninvited. Perhaps he needed better security.

She didn't bother to close the door behind her, she didn't need the privacy of his tinted glass. She wanted everyone to see that she wasn't the innocent little pro bono lawyer he was trying to make her out to be. Striding straight up to his desk she placed a piece of paper infront of him, keeping her hands on his desk as she leaned forward to see his reaction.

"What's this?" muttered more to himself than to Caroline, eyes scanning the paper as his brow furrowed. "You can't be serious."

If it had ever felt better to smirk Caroline couldn't remember it, her lips curved up into an amused smile at the annoyed reaction from Klaus. "I'm very serious. Those emails could have been sent by anyone, it was an internet café. You are aware of what an internet café is aren't you? Or is that beneath you?"

He stood up and mirrored her position, hands on the desk infront of him, leaning towards her. She almost stepped back but thought better of it, he wasn't going to make her do anything of the sort. He needed to know that she was not going down without a fight, especially when she knew that she was right. "If you thought this was going to be easy you were wrong."

He didn't react for a moment before her grinned, reaching out and tucking a stray wisp of hair from her face. "Well where would the fun be in that?"

She could feel his breath fanning over her face as he spoke, refusing to give into the urge to kiss him and glaring, pulling back just as he did the same. He walked past her and closed the door as he had done before, her little quirks to show that she wasn't intimidated by him were still amusing, refreshing.

"All of these underhand tactics are tiring. I'm sure we can come to an agreement." This time, when he turned to her it was her chance to react. Frowning slightly as she tried to work out what his angle was in this. She knew that he enjoyed this more than most people, it wasn't just a job for Klaus as far as she could tell. Tearing people's lives apart was a hobby for him. If he wasn't a lawyer he'd probably be a serial killer.

"What's in it for you? You must know you're going to lose this case." She was still on a slightly unsure footing, damn him for being able to turn this conversation around. She leaned back against his desk as she waited for him to answer her.

He laughed as he crossed his arms, shaking his head. "Quite the contrary, dear. I wouldn't want to see this newfound confidence of yours crushed."

If he hadn't been more than an arm's length away from her she would have hit him.

"_My_ confidence? Mine? It's your pride that's getting trampled on when I win this case. God, you're such an arrogant dick."

"It's been a while since you've called me God." He murmured with a wolfish look on his face, leaning back against the door, talking again before she could reply. "Dinner, tomorrow. We can discuss the case."

"You must be delirious."

"Not at all. It seems that whenever we're in an office you can't seem to control yourself. Dinner would give you something to focus your attention on."

"Control myself? You're such an ass. There is nothing between us. Paris was a long time ago."

"So why do you still remember it so well? Or am I off base?" He walked back towards her and she found herself backed up against a desk for the second time this week.

"Do you not remember this?" He asked, stopping infront of her, a hand behind her and foot inbetween hers. "This?" His hand found its way to her hip and he brushed it against her waist, to the small of her back, pulling him up towards him.

"Way off base." She muttered, but couldn't quite manage to take her eyes from his, hands instinctively resting on his chest.

"Really? I'd say I'm _right_-." His fingers fanned out across her back before pulling her flush to him, "on target."

"This is sexual harassment, Mr Mikaelson." Her voice was quieter and even she knew that she was only kidding, a smile ghosted on her lips.

"Is that so? Then sue me, Miss Forbes."

His lips connected with hers, pressing against her slightly, eyes closing as her hands move from his chest to his shoulders, pulling him closer to her. She hadn't meant for this to happen, that much she was sure of, but as his hands fell to her thighs and placed her on the desk she really couldn't find it in herself to care. Her legs wrapped around him as the kiss deepened, teasing her tongue against his lips before entangling it with his. Her fingers threaded through his hair as his hands roamed her back, pulling her as close him as he could.

All rational thought was gone, untucking his shirt from his pants and panning her hands over his chest, gasping for a breath as his lips trailed along her jaw, nipping down her neck and dragging his teeth across her collar bone.

She pulled his mouth back to hers as his fingers nimbly trailed up her skirt, caressing the inside of her thighs.

"Mr Mikaelson, Kol's on line three he says tha-" The receptionist's sentence being cut short as she notices the scene going on infront of her. "I can uhm-"

"Not now, Tanya!" He growled as she stepped back out of the room, closing the door with a string of apologies and a slightly blush.

For a lack of something better to do, Caroline laughed. The awkwardness of the situation taking over her as she kept laughing, not attempting to get off from his desk as he smiled at her.

Caroline Forbes was a lot of things to him, she was feisty and in control of course, but she was still adorable. Always completely adorable. She'd probably slap him if he told her but every so often he thought that it might be worth it.

Pulling her skirt back down again as she stood she ran a hand through her hair, laughing as soon as she saw the state of him. "Your, uhm… everything." Another giggle escaped her. He wasn't sure how to react, what he was supposed to say. How he was supposed to act like he hadn't missed her touch over the past years. He didn't want to admit it to himself, let alone the beautiful woman before him.

"Dinner." He teased, tucking his shirt in as it was before and stepping nearer to her, this time she didn't bother stepping away as brushed his fingers through her hair.

"No way. Coffee." She haggled, he shook his head in response and tucked some hair behind her ear again.

"Lunch. At the least."

"It's not happening. Breakfast."

"At mine. Perfect. I'll see you at eight." He cut off any protest by pressing his lips to her again, she pulled away and hit his arm playfully.

"Don't push your luck, Mikaelson. I'll see you then." She smiled and then walked out of the office, avoiding Tanya's amused expression as she walked out. Klaus leaned back against his desk as he watched her go, slightly dazed by what had just happened, the only thing better than having her come to him was watching her leave.

"Tanya stop writing your fanfiction and get me a coffee."

* * *

**There ya go! I gave you some smut to make up for the long wait, eh? ;) Also, the Tanya you see there is klaussdick from Tumblr. Go follow the hoe. **

**In reponse to the few mails I've also gotten, my Tumblr URL is trustingdesires, feel free to come and message me! X**

**More reviews = more smut.**


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you all so much for your lovely feedback, I read every review and honestly they warm my heart. You're all super adorable, cookies for everyone!

To all of you who are wondering about their time in Paris… keep wondering, loves. Chapter eight might be interesting.

This has been beta read by Tanya as always, whom I love dearly.

* * *

It was only breakfast, _simple_ breakfast and even though her companion for it might be slightly unnerving that didn't mean that she would let him fluster her. The occasion in his office hadn't left her mind all night despite how hard she may have tried. Every time she got comfortable and thought that she'd finally be able to fall asleep she'd feel his lips on her skin or his hand brushing her hair back and then she'd have to try all over again. It was unfair that he was able to torment her even when he was sleeping. Seriously unfair.

Her reasoning hadn't stopped her from getting up an hour earlier than necessary, to dress. She tried googling 'what to wear to breakfast with someone you were trying your best to keep your hands off of all morning while simultaneously ensuring that he still wanted his hands all over you' but apparently nobody had made that guide yet. _Typical_. She finally settled on a plain blue dress with her jacket, she looked nice, but not as though she had been up all morning deciding just how nice she wanted to look. He'd never let her live it down otherwise.

She was more than willing to walk to Klaus' seeing as it wasn't too far from her apartment but the limo that was waiting outside told her that he had different ideas. She would object but it was early and far too cold for her to give up the option of a warm car, so she got in and let them drive her there. She was determined that nothing would happen, they would talk about work and things that they had going on in their lives now. He'd undoubtedly talk about his last few hundred conquests and she'd have to do her best not to stab him with one of the silver forks. She didn't see being notch in his bedpost as a compliment and she hoped that he knew that.

By the time she had gotten to his house the weather had turned colder and it looked as though it was going to rain, making her extra glad that she had put her pride to one side and taken the limousine. She was about to walk inside when she saw Bonnie storming out of the front door, yelling at whoever was walking after her, she couldn't quite make it out. She wasn't even sure what the argument was about but judging from the slap that she just gave the man before her she assumed it wasn't good.

Eventually she got out of the car, seeing as she didn't want to get stuck in the rain. Bonnie was long gone and the figure that she could now make out as Kol Mikaelson was still looking down the street in the direction she had left.

"Kol?" She wouldn't usually bother prying into his life, but Bonnie was her friend and she couldn't very well just let her be upset without trying to solve the problem.

He turned around and let a smile cover his true expression, folding his arms. "Caroline, my brother is waiting for you upstairs." He nodded and then went to turn away once again, making her walk over to him and put a hand on his arm to turn him around.

"What have you done, Mikaelson?" He looked as though he was going to fob her off with more details about his brother for a moment but then he shook his head and gestured back down the street.

"It would appear as though Bo- Miss Bennett is angry with me. For reasons that are none of your business, with all due respect."

She was relatively sure that he didn't think she was due any respect but it didn't particularly bother her, this was Kol Mikaelson afterall. She couldn't expect the usual degrees of human decency from a man who took great pleasure in acting like a weasel at all times.

"Then go after her. Bonnie's always the one who has to take charge, go and chase after her for once." She shrugged slightly and then walked towards the doorway, smiling once she heard his footsteps heading down the street after the judge.

"How were you late when I sent a car? That's quite impressive." Klaus' smug voice rang down to her from the staircase, where he stood at the top and she couldn't help but smile at the crisp sound.

"I was dealing with your brother, you're lucky I wasn't _hours_ late." She walked up towards him and he didn't move from where he was leaning, still grinning at her.

"Is that so?" He didn't wait for an answer as placed a hand on the small of her back and lead her out to the balcony. She frowned as she realized where they were going.

"You do realize that it's freezing outdoors, don't you? I'm not going to freeze all morning, Klaus." She assumed that he had just gone slightly insane, it was the only explanation that would excuse thinking that Artic weather was perfect for croissants and coffee.

"So I hear."

He was being cryptic and if this continued he was going to have to start dodging cutlery. Surprisingly when she stepped outside she felt warmth on her skin, turning around she realized that she owed the heat to the heaters that were circling the table of food. It was almost impressive, not that she'd let him know that.

"If you're going to do that, why not just eat inside?" She asked as she sat in the chair he'd pulled out, he tutted as he sat down beside her.

"Where would the fun be in that?"

It was such a stupidly Klaus thing to say that she honestly couldn't think of how to reply to it, she assumed that was probably his intention.

"Are we waiting for other people? There's enough food here to feed an armada." She doubted that she was overestimating either; pastries, cereals, toast and a more drinks than she had seen at a grocery store littered the table. He was probably just trying to show off but honestly it was just making her hungry.

"I would get you the same as you usually have but somewhere amongst my memories all I can remember you having is chocolate and champagne. Well, _I_ would usually be the one eating the chocolate…"

She shot him a look but he seemed unfazed by it, smirking wolfishly as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye and then poured himself some coffee.

"So anyway, what's with Bonnie being here? Is Kol trying to sway the verdict, I hope you know she'll never fall for it." She took a bite of a croissant, tearing off a piece of it.

"Ah, I wish I could tell you what was going on between my brother and Miss Bennett but unfortunately I don't quite know myself. They have been together rather often recently. I'm surprised you didn't know, being her best friend and all."

She knew what he was implying. If anyone had the ability to sway anyone it would be her, but that wasn't the case. Trying to sway Bonnie Bennett about anything was like trying to hop backwards up a mountain.

"Are you particularly interested in the love lives of my siblings? I believe Elijah and Katherine are reconciling and I have no idea what my sister is doing with Stefan." He shook his head and reached for his coffee, sipping it.

"Super interesting, really. What about you? I guess you've been single. Is nobody interested in a catch like you?" She smirked at him over her tea, almost choking on her sip at his next words.

"On the contrary. Perhaps there is someone I've been waiting for."

All rational thought told her to believe that he was talking about Tatia. Tatia made sense, she was the rational option. The other was too insane for her to let herself believe it,;despite the way his eyes seemed to avert hers as he said it.

She had known it was going to rain.

He had closed the doors to keep some privacy between them but she was less than grateful for that thought, it meant that they were outside in the rain for an extra three minutes. She was soaked through.

"Of course it was going to rain. Did you see the sky? You're an idiot. Stop laughing at me, it's not funny. Now I'm going to have to go home and change before going to see Stefan and it's your fault entirely. Stop laughing. Why are you laughing?- Is that a record player?"

She was cut off by herself as she saw the old gramophone in the corner, going over to it before he could block her view of it. "Wow, really? A gramophone. Someone needs to buy you an I-pod."

Her actions betrayed her words, though. Her fingers reached out to trace along the brass work, along the polished wood. Obviously he took care of it and he had been with her long enough to know that she appreciated fine things; if those things were vintage then that was a bonus.

She didn't notice him coming up behind her, not seeing the smile on his lips from her reaction. He leaned over her shoulder, placing the needle at the beginning of the track and taking her hand from the varnished wood, placing it in his own and then pulling her around to face him as the soft tones began to play from the horn.

"Miss Forbes, may I have this dance?"

Caroline couldn't help but laugh, he looked infinitely cute in that moment. A wry smile on his lips and a subtle glint of hope in his could she ever say no?

She placed her other hand on his shoulder as his moved to her waist, swaying to the music slightly, when she looked up at him, his eyes were on her. She'd never understand the way he looked at her, as if she were the most precious thing on Earth. It wasn't a look she ever got from anyone else; it wasn't one she had thought she would ever see outside of old movies.

Then again, that was Niklaus Mikaelson all over. He was full of his old courtesies and small chivalrous gestures. That was, of course, when he wanted to be. Less than half of the time he was a real life black and white romantic hero. The rest of the time he was Klaus Mikaelson the lawyer, an asshole who Caroline knew that she shouldn't be talking to at all. He was trouble; it was well known that he was not the good guy in this picture. He was definitely the bad guy.

What did that make her then?

"You know, you really are breathtaking." There was no hint of humour in his voice then, he looked as serious as he usually did, his eyes scanning her face for any indication that she believed him.

"Thank you." She nodded slightly, not knowing what there was to say on the matter. She could deal with the compliments that Damon gave her, the odd '_you're hot_' and '_nice ass, blondie_'. Those were easy to deal with. Even Stefan's claims of her beauty, he was her friend, he would say such things. It was when Klaus said it that she _wanted_ to believe it, wanted to be the person he thought she was.

"No, really. Why do you never believe me? Take Paris, for instance." He spun her before she had the chance to cut him off, holding her tighter in his arms once she returned before him.

"What do you think it was that made me invite you to stay with me? The connection to my rival company? Of course not. If it were Damon or Stefan there I would have laughed at their misfortune and gone on my way, but not you. You were astonishing in that moment. The rain falling on your head, the black suit you wore clung to your figure." The fingers on her waist fanned out across her skin and she was suddenly aware of the fact that her clothing seemed to be drenched from the rain, somehow she didn't quite care.

"You should have looked helpless, as lost as the other girls who were on the verge of crying at the front desk, but you didn't. You were angry. The receptionist you were talking to looked as though he wanted to run away. You're more than beautiful, Caroline. You're astounding, magnificent and more than that, you're more passionate than anyone I've ever met."

She didn't notice that they'd stopped dancing, the hand on his shoulder, dug into the damp fabric of his shirt, his lips moving closer to hers hovering dangerously close to her own. She could lean up and kiss him now, she wanted to, god only knew that she wanted to.

But she couldn't.

She wouldn't.

She pulled away, shaking her head and picking up her purse.

"I can't do this. Not now, not ever. This isn't happening, Paris was a long time ago Klaus, leave it be."

He growled, frustrated by her sudden movement and turned around, grabbing her wrist with his hand.

"Leave it be? How am I supposed to leave it be, Caroline? Please, do tell me. I have attempted to do exactly that _– leave it be_, but I can't. You intoxicate me. I know you feel the same way, you did in Paris, stop fighting this." He tried to step towards her but she moved back away from him.

"I will never stop fighting it because it's wrong! You fail to mention an important detail about Paris, Klaus. You were married. You were married to Tatia and you used me! You _used _me!" She pulled away from his grasp as he faltered for something to say, looking upset by the accusation but not knowing what to say to change her mind.

"I never-"

"Yes you did! Shut up, just shut up! You and your fancy breakfasts and your romantic dances can leave me alone, okay? You used me in Paris, I was nothing to you so stop saying that I was. Don't think I don't remember how you and Kol _sneered _at me as he met you off of the plane. Poor stupid Caroline, I never could tell when I was being played. Well, I've changed. I'm not the same Caroline who fell for your tricks before. I'm not being hurt by you again."

He tried to call after her, to explain himself, but she was already out of the door, running along the street, barely noticing the rain as it fell on the pavement below her. She should hate Klaus; she should want him to suffer for the things had done. He wasn't good, he wasn't a good person but somehow she never seemed to care. None of it seemed to matter, anyway.

She loved him. And that was enough for her to hate him eternally.

* * *

I am terribly sorry that this took so long, everything has been hectic recently. I will try and get the next chapter out soon! It has copious amounts of plot twists and a good dash of kalijah.


	5. Chapter 5

I have been forced to update sooner by Tanya, Lulu, Caryn and some other evil people so you can thank them for this. All of the sadness is their fault.

If Caroline's eyes could burn, the CCTV footage she had been staring at for an hour would be a pile of ash by now.

It was from the night of Elena's death. Katherine could clearly be seen walking into the room where Elena was, pouring them both a drink, which Katherine never touched herself. They said that poison was woman's weapon of choice. Perhaps that was because it was the smartest; it was difficult to trace back to the culprit.

The rest of the tape was uneventful and yet she had scoured every second of it for something to convince her that what she was seeing was true. The tape hadn't been tampered with, she had checked, of course. The two sisters spoke for a while, with Elena finishing more than one glass of the crimson liquid before they both departed for their rooms. There was no CCTV in Elena's bedroom and a few hours later, with morning having just broken Katherine is seen going to Elena's room. Just a few seconds later a scream reverberates through the corridor, obviously a sign that Katherine has found her sister's body.

The twins were as identical as any Caroline had ever seen- twins, _now_. They had once been triplets but Tatia's death had brought the trio to a duo. It seemed that the woman was haunting Caroline wherever she turned in life. She had wondered what she would think if she was here. Everyone had told her that Tatia was as kind as Elena with all the allure of Katherine. Others said that she was a very good actress.

Caroline preferred to believe the second was true.

The motive for it to be Katherine was there, in plain sight. Their parents had both passed away by now, Isobel only a few years ago, the Pierces were wealthy and all the money that was left behind was put in a trust; to be shared equally when Tatia, Katherine and Elena reached the age of 25.

With Tatia out of the equation that made half each, with Elena gone that meant Katherine would be a very rich woman for a very long time.

Caroline had heard plenty about Katherine Pierce from both Salvatore brothers and none of it had been overly positive. From what she knew she wasn't surprised that she would try and kill her sister for an extra few zeros on her inheritance.

So she was confused as to why she still didn't believe what she was coming to understand. It made sense for it to be Katherine and yet Caroline didn't think she was guilty. That was the truth in it. She didn't want to prosecute someone who hadn't actually killed anyone.

Jeremy had employed them to find Elena's killer and if Katherine wasn't the murderer she didn't want to be putting her behind bars in a hurry. She needed to feel that this was _right_, she just couldn't shake the feeling that there was something funny going on.

She would be dammed if she wasn't going to get to the bottom of it.

Apparently last week's rainfall had been worse than Caroline had known because it seemed that Katherine's apartment had been flooded in the aftermath. After a small amount of digging she found out that she'd been staying with Elijah since then.

If Caroline had to deal with a Mikaelson, she didn't mind it being Elijah as much as she would have minded any of his siblings. As it turned out, he wasn't there anyway.

Katherine was.

"Forbes, right?" Katherine eyed her suspiciously, wrapping her arms around her. If this was the woman that everyone had been telling her was evil personified then she really must be a good liar. To Caroline she looked scared.

"My name is Caroline Forbes, yes. I have come to go over a few details in regards to the case." She kept her tone professional, not letting her curiosity get the better of her. That'd be a first.

"Elijah's not in. He'll be back in an hour or so, I can leave a message?" It seemed to her that the other woman just wanted her off of the front step and out of sight as soon as possible. Unfortunately for her, that wasn't going to happen.

"It was you I wanted to talk to, actually. If you're not comfortable with that, I can leave and come back when Elijah's here."

"Not comfortable? You don't scare me, blondie. Let's talk." She turned away, leaving the door open behind her as she headed off into a side room.

Perhaps she did see where Damon was coming from after all. It seemed to her as though Elena was the only decent human being in their family; not including Jeremy of course. He had been left out of the inheritance as he was illegitimate, Isobel having had him after the death of her husband. He seemed happy enough to be kept out of the drama, anyway. She didn't much blame him. It had kept him alive this long, at least.

Elijah's place seemed to be decorated much the same as Klaus', although he seemed to have a touch of class that not even Klaus could obtain. The lounge was like a scene from an old movie, with a real sixties villain planted in the middle of it. Katherine had sat herself on a seat near the window, a mug of what looked like tea in her hands. She didn't gesture for Caroline to sit, but she figured that it was the thing to do anyway.

"Miss Pierce, you were with Elena on the night of her death, correct?" She sat down on the couch opposite her, trying to go through her evidence in her head.

"Did you figure that one out by yourself?"

That's a yes then. This was going to be as much fun as pulling teeth, she feared.

"Obviously I can't question you. You can, however, tell me what happened in your own words."

"I know I can." She paused for a moment, taking a sip from her mug as Caroline waited for her to elaborate.

"I went to Elena to celebrate. I had told her news earlier that day and when I got home she had left a bottle of wine for us in my room with a note telling me to share. I thought she wanted to talk to so met with her in our lounge and we talked. She was my sister, we spoke often. It's not terribly damning evidence."

"The bottle had been placed into your room? Do you know who by?"

"Should I repeat everything? Elena left it. There was nobody else it could have been from. There's CCTV in the hallways of our house, I'm sure you've noticed. She walked in and put it there."

Katherine knew where the cameras were in their house and Caroline could definitely see her using the fact that she was identical to her twin to her advantage. There was nothing to say that the tapes weren't showing Katherine walking into her room to place it there. Again, there were no cameras inside the girls' rooms. If privacy hadn't been such an issue maybe this case would be a lot simpler.

"You've got to know why it looks suspicious, Katherine. You didn't touch the drink, which was later found to be laced in poison. If you were unaware of the issues with the wine, why didn't you drink it?"

It was the one thing that was making it difficult to believe that anyone other than Katherine could have been the murderer. She hadn't touched it, not a single drop had touched her lips. Katherine wasn't averted to drinking, anyone would hold testament to that and there was plenty of evidence to her wild nights spent drinking if they needed it.

"I couldn't drink. I don't see how it's any of your concern."

"It's not. You can tell me now, or you can tell me in court. Either way I'll find out if there's any truth to what you're saying."

"I can tell you. But it's between us."

Well that'd be of no use to her. She couldn't use it in court if she was lying and she wouldn't be able to convince the Salvatores with it either. If there was a reason as to why she wasn't drinking, Caroline needed to know what it was. More for Katherine's sake than her own.

"I can't promise that, Katherine. You need to have an alibi as to why you weren't drinking that night. I'm supposed to find out who murdered Elena and if that wasn't you I need to know who it was."

She looked as though she was considering it for a moment before she shook her head, putting the mug down and folding her arms once again.

"Nobody is allowed to know. You _have_ to keep it to yourself. I'll deny it in court if you try and bring it up. Look, I don't know you but from what I've heard you can be trusted. I'll trust you, Caroline. I don't trust anyone so you better appreciate it. You have to swear you won't tell anyone."

It felt childish, keeping up a secret for the sake of it. But she didn't betray people, she wasn't a Mikaelson. Besides, she wanted to know what was going on, whether she had been right in her feeling that there was something up or whether it was a case so simple that she was looking too far into it.

"I wasn't drinking that night because I was pregnant."

"Pregnant? Katherine you do-."

"I lost him. Something went wrong in the early weeks of pregnancy. Stress was a factor, apparently. I wasn't drinking."

She couldn't help but feel pity for her other woman, she was desperately trying to hold onto her façade but it wasn't working. She averted her eyes from Caroline's, looking away out of the window, her arms wrapped tighter around her stomach. She couldn't begin to understand what it would be like to lose a child, whatever people thought of Katherine Pierce there was nothing that could make anyone deserve that. She wouldn't wish it upon her worst enemy.

"I'm sorry."

She didn't know what else she could say, there was nothing that she could think of for all her niceties and kind words.

"I don't want your pity, Caroline. I want you to find out who actually murdered her. It wasn't me. You can believe whatever you want about me, I don't care about your opinion. But at least try and look into who actually did it. You guys are supposed to be the good lawyers, right? Taking all the pro bono cases and whatever. If that's true you'll at least look into other options. If not, then… I guess you're not the person you claim to be."

Apparently, neither are you. She should have known that there'd be something more to this, she had known there would be but she hadn't expected it to be this. It was her job to stay emotionally distanced from her cases but there was something here that she didn't like.

"Tyler saw someone slipping something into that drink and it wasn't me. Find out who it was. Unless it was him."

"Of course it wasn't him. Tyler wouldn't kill Elena."

"But I would? I would never kill Elena, you claim to be all good and different to other lawyers with your promises and your secrets but your prejudiced just like all of the others! Why wouldn't it be Tyler? If we all died the money would go back to Jeremy and he's in love with my little brother like nobody else I've seen. Tyler did it."

"He didn't murderer her, Katherine. I'm sure there's a ratio-"

"Shut up! There's no rational explanation. He's lying, if not then what? Who do you propose did it? Elena? Trying to kill us both? Or perhaps you think that my other dead sister did it? I know what it's like to lose a sister I would never want to feel that again."

She was on her feet by now, Caroline mirroring her, trying to calm her down. Not that she had ever been particularly good in that suit.

"I understand-"

_Slap_.

Katherine's hand hit Caroline's cheek with a sudden movement, the force of which turned the blonde's head to turn sharply as she brought a hand up to cover her cheek.

"Don't you dare, don't you dare say you understand! I have lost both of my sisters and I lost my child. You could never understand!"

"Katherine?"

Neither of them had seen Elijah walk into the room.

He was standing in the doorway as he looked back and forth between the women, his eyes settling on the angry red mark on Caroline's cheek for a brief moment before going back to Katherine, he looked like how Caroline felt. He looked like a man who had just heard something new for the first time. Caroline hoped it wasn't what she thought it was.

"Miss Forbes, I think you should leave."

He was talking to her but his eyes were still on Katherine, not having moved his stern gaze from the brunette.

Caroline was glad for the opportunity to leave, her cheek was still stinging and feeling that this was going to be a conversation that she definitely didn't want to be a part of.

Neither Katherine nor Elijah said anything for a few moments, both of them at a loss as to what they could say.

They hadn't particularly been on speaking terms since having broken up, Elijah had allowed her to stay at his house because it was convenient, it wouldn't do for their client to stay in an apartment that was flooded with water. They both knew that there was slightly more to it than that. That he had wanted to stay with her to make sure that she was okay during everything that was happening. Despite everything he had wanted to be there for her.

This wouldn't be an exception.

"You didn't tell me."

"There was nothing to tell."

She had been excited to let him know, had been planning just how she would tell him the good news. But that was before everything happened.

"I'm sorry." The words almost seemed to get lost in her throat as she said them.

"Katherine, you have nothing to apologize for. I didn't know… I shouldn't have left. You have nothing to apologize for, it wasn't your fault."

"I lost him, Elijah."

He had his arms around her as soon as the first tear fell from her eye.

"It's okay, love. It's going to be okay."

Caroline had known that there was something wrong, she had gone digging into it and now that she had found out something she wished she hadn't .

She left Elijah's house quickly, wiping away a tear that threatened to escape her as she hurried down the steps. She was wondering whether it was from what she had just heard or from the slap when she walked into someone, about to mumble her apologies when she felt a hand on her chin, she looked up to see someone she had _really_ hoped that she wouldn't walk into.

Klaus didn't look smug, there was no hint of a cocky smirk nor a charming smile. He looked concerned, his hand moving hers out of the way so that he could look at her cheek, glancing back at Elijah's house with a confused expression.

"What happened?"

"I spoke with Katherine. It's nothing, I deserved it. I need to go."

She went to walk past him but he was one step ahead of her as he stepped in front of her.

"I doubt that very much. Come, you should freshen up."

"No, I should get back to work. I got what I came here for, okay? Now I'm going."

He didn't look happy with the decision but he had little choice in the matter.

"Take the car, at least. No arguments."

He opened the door to his car and gestured for her to go in, telling the driver where to go as he closed the door after her.

"You'll have to let me explain one day, Caroline."

He kept his hand on the open window so that she couldn't close it, bending to look at her.

"I guess you'll just have to keep trying then."

**Leave me reviews and maybe I'll be nicer! I won't. But you can try ;).**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, lovelies! It's been a long time since my last update because school really is kicking in right now, I got this one up, though! Everything in regards to Klaroline's past will be explained soon!**

**As always, beta read by the lovely Tanya.**

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There was only so long one's patience could be tested before they eventually snapped and someone got hurt. Or died. Like poor old Elena Gilbert, 'collateral damage' was just something that she was going to have to go down in history as. A necessary death by all means.

There were others, however, who did not necessarily have to die - they simply _chose_ to. Caroline Forbes was becoming one of those people and if she took too many steps in the right direction then the same fate may fall upon her. Poison would be a gift, something that she didn't quite deserve.

Unfortunately, the same could be said for Klaus. He was prying into this information far too much for it to be ignored and they were not going to ignore it. They poured some more alcohol into their glass, bringing it to their lips as they tried to think of how to deal with the latest bump in their metaphorical road. Killing both Caroline and Klaus would definitely arise some suspicion, but unless things changed drastically there didn't seem to be another option. If anyone found out that it was them then they'd be royally screwed over with the case that they already had piled up.

With an irritated sigh they got to their feet, putting the glass down as they headed out the door. A visit was in store.

"This is all terribly cliché." Even as the words escaped Kol's mouth he couldn't help but smirk, he could do cliché as long as Bonnie was helping out with it. Any excuse. Besides, she looked hot when she was being deceiving and that was an opportunity that he didn't really feel like missing out on. He was about to say something else when she pressed a finger to his lips to quiet him, earning an eyeroll.

Cliché it may be, but it was necessary if she was ever going to be able to help her friend get on with things. Bonnie didn't like Klaus, at all, with good reason as far as his career showed, but either way it wouldn't hurt Caroline to get over him. For a lack of a better way to put it, if she had to get under him first for that to happen then so be it. Even if she did have to hold back a shiver at the thought of it. She had to focus, a task that was increasingly difficult with Kol running his fingers along her side as she waited for Caroline to arrive at the restaurant. "We're in a public place."

"All the more fun." He grinned at the half-hearted slap she gave him, he was curious to see how things worked out; he just cared a little less than the fiery judge. Which, in all honestly wasn't terribly hard to do. She had an uncanny knack for making his moral compass look more than a little bent. Which, then again, wasn't hard to do either. Klaus had already walked in a few minutes ago, so Kol thought his part was done but Bonnie was insistent that they wait to see that Caroline turns up. If she didn't, Kol just thought it would be funny.

Luckily for his patience, a wash of blonde popped out of a cab at that moment, paying the driver and then heading indoors, seemingly planning an excuse as she went. It wasn't going to be necessary but at least she was prepared. "There, now can we please get going. I can think of much better things to be doing with us both at this proximity."

Okay, so maybe he had deserved that slap.

Caroline hadn't meant to be late, she really hadn't meant to be late but there was a phonecall which was followed by a few emails and tied up with a fax. Then Stefan needed her, something to do with a form and before she knew it it was 7:15 and she was already a quarter of an hour late. She was actually surprised that Bonnie hadn't already called her to yell at her but her personal cell was clear of any messages, which she was going to use as part of her excuse for being late. She was glad that she was usually on the prosecution and not the defense because unless she was in a courtroom her back up tended to turn to crap.

She took a second to fix her hair in the door window of the restaurant before heading in to find Bonnie at her table. She found her table, but Bonnie was not at it.

"What did you do to Bonnie? Kidnap is illegal, you know that right?" The only trouble was that Klaus looked as surprised to see her as she was to see him. This only made her suspect that there was something else going on here, which she didn't appreciate.

"Ah. It would appear we've been duped." He couldn't help but smile at the tactics. Kol wasn't usually this subtle so he strongly suspected that the Bennett judge was the brains behind this plan, he'd have to send her a fruit basket. He sensed that she would much prefer his head on a pike but he didn't much like the thought of going without it for the time being.

It took Caroline all of three seconds to understand what he meant, a theory that was only reinforced once her phone buzzed with a text from her so-called dinner date.

_'Have fun! Don't do anything I wouldn't do. x'_

She scoffed at her phone and put it back into her bag, folding her arms as she continued to stand next to the table. "So, what's supposed to happen now? We sit down and talk about the weather? No thanks." She didn't move, though. She didn't know why she didn't make a dash for it right then and there but she stayed put - if only to hear him ask her to stay.

"We can talk about that if you want, we can talk about anything you want to."

"What cracker did you get that line from?"

He laughed. Reluctantly, she did too.

"Come on, Caroline. Sit down, give me a chance to explain. I'll even pay."

"You bet you will."

Then she laughed again, which he took for a good sign. He also noted that the slap she'd had before hadn't marked - he had made sure to find out exactly what was going on there, although he had already known the details that were exchanged. Katherine had told him once she had been accused of the murder, he hadn't enjoyed keeping it from his brother and so was relieved that he'd made that discovery himself. Client-lawyer privileges didn't quite extend to family. Either way, he didn't appreciate that she'd hurt his favourite lawyer, regardless of how justified her actions may have been in her given situation.

He had already ordered a drink but called a waiter over to bring them a bottle of wine instead, although she insisted that she wouldn't be having much of it.

"I'm heading back to the office after this, if this is one of your sneaky plans to bring down the firm because one of their senior partners was drunk on the job then you'll have to try harder." Would he try anything like that? She wasn't sure, he might stoop to that level. He'd done far worst things in the past and so it wouldn't be overly outrageous in the grand scheme of things, she wouldn't appreciate it either way. She'd only _just_ gotten a good office, the view was great and she wasn't giving that up - regardless of how expensive the wine was.

"Would I tarnish the great name of Salvatore & Saltzman?" He gave her a look of faux innocence that she might believe if she was twelve and hoping to get an ice cream cone out of the deal. Mikael & sons had been around a lot longer, she knew that much, but S&S had been making a good name for themselves for a while now and she didn't feel that they were any better than them anyway.

"It's a better name than Mikael & sons. If it hadn't been then I would've taken that job instead."

"Who's to say you were going to be offered the job in the first place?"

"So I wasn't?"

It wasn't a real question, she had been the best candidate there, a stellar record throughout school, numerous internships during summer since she had been old enough to legally do so. He'd almost wondered if she had any kind of social life at all - other than being Miss Virginia when she was seventeen, which she had noted - but that wasn't going to help her get the job. That hadn't been the real cherry. The tip of the iceberg had just been her.

She had walked into the waiting room with confidence that no prospective associate should have. She laughed at all the right times and stayed quiet where others made the mistake of babbling some intelligent idiocy. She stood out and he was relatively sure that she was aware of that, they liked to make them wait, to make sure that they could hold out given the time. That was the first mistake that she'd made in a while, he could still remember Stefan's smug self offhandedly informing them of their latest associate from Harvard.

"Great girl, really hard-working. I think she may have come to the interviews over with you as well? Caroline Forbes."

And then he'd ended up taking in some idiots who hadn't lasted a month before he'd thrown them out - almost literally with a certain idiot by the name of Jules.

"Of course you were, you're brilliant-"

She was going to respond, to thank him in some way or maybe make a joke out of how she agreed with him, but he just couldn't leave it be.

"-Which is why it's really such a waste."

"What is?" She knew what was coming, could practically taste the ignorant comment on his tongue before he even said it but she tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, to make it clear that he should back away from saying what was coming next.

"The fact that someone like you would work at a sham like that." Okay, so they weren't as bad as he was making out, but either way they weren't Mikael & Sons and so they weren't good enough. Not for her.

"So, what? I come over to the darkside and we're Chucky and Tiffany?" She was getting more irritated by the second, as she always did when they spoke. He would be fine for a short while and then he'd say something obnoxious and she'd want to ring his neck.

"I wouldn't say no to the leather."

"You're disgusting."

"No, Caroline. I'm trying to help you. That firm is doing nothing for you, if you came to us you'd shine. You wouldn't have to live in the shadow of the Salvatores."

Now he was pushing it. "You know what? Those Salvatores just happen to be my friends and they've done more for me than you ever have, I knew this was a bad idea." She got to her feet, picking up her purse and making to leave.

"Caroline, love - wait. Caroline!" He hesitated for a second before huffing and getting to his feet, dropping some money for the wine onto the table and then heading out the door after her.

"Following me isn't going to make me like you. At all." She didn't turn around just kept walking - not that she was too sure of where she was actually headed; but going forward seemed like a good idea. She could go with the general forward direction. Plus, going this way meant keeping up a good distance between her and Klaus which was _definitely_ a good thing.

"Fine." He caught up to her with a jog, grabbing her hand and looking down at her shoes. "I hope you can run in those."

She'd assumed that he was joking, but with a tug of his hand he headed up the street and she had little to do but go along with him. He was being ridiculous, being absolutely ridiculous and she refused to go along with whatever he was trying to do here. "I can't, what are you doing?!"

"Moving briskly forwards."

"That's hilarious."

"Much appreciated, love."

He didn't know where it had come from but the urge to just go with it had struck him and so here he was, acting like an idiot in the middle of New York, if she had forgotten who he was when he wasn't being 'Niklaus Mikaelson - Senior Partner' then he was just going to have to remind her someway or another; if that way happened to be by pulling her through the streets of downtown New York then so be it.

"I could always take you around the entire block so that we could get back in time for the wine that I bought." Money wasn't a problem but that didn't mean that he wanted to make a habit of paying for things he wasn't going to be using.

"I didn't like that restaurant. I just wanted fries and maybe some coffee."

He stopped running at that, turning to face her with a look of confusion. Just when he thought he had her pegged she'd throw something new into the equation. Living in New York for a long time didn't help with his knowledge of where to get fries and coffee - the latter could be gotten from any cafe, he knew that much but fast food wasn't something he was used to getting. Which would apparently have to change.

"You're impossible."

"You're just not trying hard enough."

Well, he had to laugh at that. If anyone else had ever tried harder to win Caroline Forbes' affections then bravo to them because he was getting exhausted by her emotional debates.

"If it's coffee and fries you want then it's coffee and fries you'll get."

It took them a good twenty minutes to find anywhere that didn't look like it would give them some kind of disease, eventually stopping into some takeout and getting two cappuccinos and a large fries. (Which did not mean that she was willing to share and if that's what he thought then he was sorely mistaken, buddy.)

It then took them all of five minutes to find a bench. (As it turned out, her shoes really were not suitable for running and if he made her walk another step she was going to hit him over the head with her heels.) So he found them somewhere to sit.

"Time's square, really? Are we tourists?" She sat down on the steps anyway because she valued her feet being attached to her body, but she still thought he was acting strange. "So what is this?"

"James Traub once called it New York's agora."

"We're not Greek and I was talking about this." She pointed at him before generally gesturing around them. "This 'nice guy' thing. What're you doing?"

"Am I still nice now?" He asked, taking two of her fries and putting them in his mouth before she could say anything.

"Don't avoid the subject." But yes, she was going to move her fries a little further away from him because she had already warned him about food sharing rules.

He had no idea what he was doing, but he enjoyed it and it was obviously working so he was just going to go with it. Caroline wasn't like anyone else, which is exactly what everyone tends to say but there was no other way to explain her. He couldn't just seduce her with fine food and music, or sweep her off her feet with fancy words. She saw through anything fake and searched for the truth, the simple things, so that's what he was going to try and it seemed to be working. "I'm trying things your way. Blunt and a little rude at times."

"I am not." She tried to look offended but it might be true, she cared for other people's feelings more than most and yet her honesty could occasionally get her into trouble. It was still better than being a sneaky liar, she wanted to add - but thought better than to bring it up seeing as he was actually being decent.

Her words may also have had more resolve if she didn't have foam on her lip from the dollar cappuccino that he was beginning to assume was ninety-percent milk. Without putting much thought into it he reached out and wiped her lip with his thumb, lingering there for a moment as his eyes met hers. She really was beautiful, anyone who couldn't see that was insane. He almost leaned in when she pulled away, dropping her food on the floor and getting to her feet, shaking her head. "No."

So now he was going to roll his eyes because she really was being ridiculous. "What's wrong now, please do tell what exactly you're going to complain about next."

"Excuse me? I'm not just someone you can call when you feel like making out with no-strings attached." Not that she had actually had that pleasure for a few weeks now, but the sentiment was still there. This wasn't something she could keep doing behind everyone's backs (although they seemed to have worked it all out a pretty long while ago.) "And anyway, you can cut the attitude."

"My attitude? That's rich, isn't it." He got to his feet, incredulous. "There's nothing whatsoever wrong with my attitude, love. You're the one who seems to be on this power-trip."

"Power-trip?! I've been trying to stay away from you!"

"Funny how we seem to keep running into each other then, isn't it? New York's a big city, you could try a little harder."

"You're such an asshole."

"There we go again. You keep saying that, that I'm the bad guy - the bad lawyer. Don't kid yourself, Caroline. There's no such thing as a good or bad lawyer, we take the jobs we get and we keep our clients happy. How many of the people you've saved from going behind bars were actually innocent? I'm betting a lot less than you'd like to admit to because you can't, you can't stomach the fact that you might not be the epitome of good and light in this world."

"It's not hard to look like a saint next to you, is it! You don't care about anyone but yourself, you're manipulative, pig-headed and evil! That's the problem."

"No, Caroline." He paused, stepping closer to her as he composed himself. "The problem is that you're just like me. The only difference being that I _know_ who I am, you're still living in your dreamworld."

Then it was his turn to walk away.

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**You all know you love it when they fight. R&R!3**


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